Aaliyah Richards has made a living writing about the way love should be. But when she meets Nathaniel Lord-business tycoon and her polar opposite-she is forced to re-evaluate her beliefs.
Nathaniel seems like the perfect man-like he jumped out o...
The weekend was finally upon her, and Aaliyah couldn't have been more relieved. After her little tryst in the bathroom, she decided the only way she was going to make it through the remainder of the week was to bury herself in work. She devoted hours in front of her laptop, cranking out chapters like it was a printing press—anything to keep Joanna busy for the next three days. She wanted..., no she needed this time alone with Nathaniel.
Passing on the usual girl's night out with Kaitlyn, she opted to pack instead. Biting her nails, she stared at the suitcase, making a mental note of everything she packed.
"I think that's everything," She smiled as she sat on the edge of her suitcase and struggled with the zipper.
"Come on!" She grunted as she cursed herself for being too cheap to spring for a new set of luggage.
The vibrating of her phone sent her heart to the ceiling as she raced to answer it. No doubt, it was Nathaniel confirming the pickup time.
"Hey," she answered breathlessly, grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey."
"So, what time are you going to pick me up tomorrow?" She bit her nails, praying he didn't catch the desperation in her tone of questioning.
"Listen, I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to cancel this weekend. Something urgent came up and I can't get out of it."
Silence.
"I hope you're not too disappointed?"
What could she say? In one second, her world had shattered, along with her heart. Of course, she was disappointed.
Forcing a smile, she tried to mask her tears. "Of course not. I understand."
Silence.
"God, I feel like such a prick. You are disappointed, aren't' you?"
"Nathaniel. It's ok. There will be other times."
"You are amazing, Aaliyah. I'll make it up to you. I promise."
She nodded her head. "Good night, Nathaniel."
"Good night."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
*****
That evening, a fog settled on the city, casting it in a shallow of melancholy that matched Aaliyah's mood. Holding a glass of wine, she folded herself small enough to fit into her window seat and watched the streets below. The sight of a young couple walking by, holding hands and laughing, made her sigh. It was pathetic. She was pathetic. But she couldn't help it. Her hopes had been raised to the top of the Sistine Chapel and then shattered like a rock through its stain glass windows. What was she supposed to do?
Suddenly, the urgent pounding on her door caused her to lose her balance as she stumbled to her feet and rushed to answer; a part of her desperately praying it was Nathaniel.
